With Practice, You Can Become Very Skillful at Recognizing Opportunities Other People Don't See. That's Being an Entrepreneur.
By Bonnie Drew
What would you do if I told you there was a $20 bill laying in your front yard?
A. Stay in the house and watch TV.B. Argue with your sister about whose job it is to pick up money in the front yard.
C. Beat everyone out the front door so you can be the first the find the $20.
Of course you would immediately rush out and find that $20. Why ask such a silly question? Because your neighborhood is full of $20 bills just waiting for you.
No, there probably aren't any $20 bills laying in front yards. You'll find the $20 bills I'm talking about in the form of money-making opportunities: yards to mow, cookies to bake, pools to clean, pets to groom, or children to help with math.
Watch for these five signs of money-making opportunities in your neighborhood.
1. Look for Things People Are Too Busy to Do--We live in a busy world. People don't have time to iron shirts, polish furniture, paint fences, bake birthday cakes, or decorate for the holidays. Look for services that will give your customers more time to enjoy life.2. Look for Things People Don't Like to Do--Everyone has chores they hate: washing windows, pulling weeds, cleaning the oven, bathing the dog, or organizing the garage. Specialize in taking care of a job no one likes to do, and you will always have plenty of customers.
3. Look for Things That Get Dirty Over and Over--Almost everything gets dirty: cars, boats, pools, parking lots, driveways, golf clubs, floors, bathrooms. Cleaning is a money-making opportunity that can never be used up.
4. Look for Things People Throw Away--Outgrown clothes, toys, books, puzzles, games, household items, and recyclables are great for garage sales, toy sales, book sales or recycling projects. These money-making enterprises are good for our environment and our community.
5. Look For Ways to Use Your Special Talent or Experience--Create your own business based on something you do well. You might build skate ramps, start a band, give dog obedience lessons, teach Spanish, or specialize in helping the elderly. Getting paid to do something you enjoy is like getting paid to have fun.
Opportunity is constantly changing. Winter opportunities disappear as spring arrives. Summer opportunities are different from fall opportunities. Jobs that need to be done this week may not be available next week. But you will never run out of ideas to add to your opportunity list. There will always be new money-making opportunities to replace those that are used up.
Bonnie Drew is the author of FAST CASH FOR KIDS (2nd edition), published by Career Press (1-800-227-3371). She is also the creator of the KIDS BUSINESS software for young entrepreneurs, available from Homeland Publications (713-332-9764).
Drew is also Editor of YoungBiz online magazine, published by Kid's Way, Inc., a company that helps youth prepare for business and the workplace of the 21st century. For more information, write to Kid's Way at 5589 Peachtree Rd, Chamblee, GA 30341 or call toll free 1-888-KidsWay (1-888-543-7929). YoungBiz magazine can be found at http://www.youngbiz.com
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